Fitchburg residents get tour of proposed soccer site

FITCHBURG -- The proposed indoor-outdoor soccer complex on Westminster Hill Road has drawn mixed reaction and emotions from both sides of the table.

Mayor Stephen DiNatale, Economic Development Coordinator Mary Jo Bohart and the City Council are among those who support the project proposed by local engineer Steve Marsden, who owns the 150 acres on Westminster Hill Road where it would be built, because it would provide added commercial tax revenue to Fitchburg.

But nearby residents are concerned about potential noise from the facility, which would include 10 outdoor fields and four indoor fields. They also cite the traffic it could create and the destruction of parts of a 150-acre wooded area.

Westminster Hill Road resident Suzan Wentworth points out an area of concern of hers about the proposed soccer complex on Westminster Hill Road during a site visit Saturday. At right is civil engineer Greg Roy, of Bolton-based Ducharme & Dillis Design Group Inc. SENTINEL & ENTERPRISE / Joe Atmonavage

Sentinel and Enterprise staff photos can be ordered by visiting our SmugMug site.

On Saturday, the two sides convened for a site visit hosted by the Planning Board. The tour of the site was led by Greg Roy, a civil engineer for Bolton-based Ducharme & Dillis Civil Design Group Inc., which is designing the project, and Marsden.

"We are happy to see the property owners that are adjacent to the site here this morning," DiNatale said. "This is informational, more so for the Planning Board, but it is good for (the residents) to hear exactly where it is going to be."

Roy walked with concerned residents to areas from the proposed design that could affect them, including buffers to their backyards, areas that would need to be blasted to flatten land and where sound barriers would be placed to control noise.

Advertisement

He also answered questions about how construction could affect a well from which many residents get their water, whether all trees would be removed and if the stone walls currently in place would be leveled.

The three-hour visit was designed to be an informational session for all parties involved, while allowing them to visualize the proposal instead of merely looking at it on paper.

"A lot of questions have been answered, but it also brought up a lot more," said John Savone, who lives on Victoria Lane at the entrance of the proposed facility.

The tour heads up up Westminster Hill Road.

Sentinel and Enterprise staff photos can be ordered by visiting our SmugMug site.

"It is two-fold."

He said one thing that would be a positive about the proposed complex is it would remove squatters. Throughout Saturday's tour, it was apparent they were using the land to build fires and find shelter.

Savone sees both sides and agrees it could be a positive for the city, but he does not think the location is right because of the potential noise and traffic.

"Would I be happy if it didn't go through? Yes," Savone said. "Am I being open to it and civil? Yes."

Michelle St. Cyr, who lives on Central Avenue Extension and would be the abutter to the first outdoor field, said after the site visit, she remains "strongly against" the proposed project.

Her concerns include the noise created by the facility, which could potentially be open 12 to 16 hours a day; the traffic, because the only entrance would be from Industrial Road to Westminster Hill Road; and the time of operation. Those concerns were not lessened after Saturday, St. Cyr said.

"I will appeal to every government agency," St. Cyr said. "I am firmly and strongly against it."

St. Cyr, among others, have already begun their efforts to halt the proposal, but have so far been unsuccessful. The City Council voted 9-1 in August in favor of an ordinance that will create an overlay district allowing the facility to be built. No councilor attended the site visit Saturday.

The next step for the proposal to move forward will be from the Planning Board and Conservation Commission, which is why the Planning Board held the site visit Saturday. The board will hold a public hearing on Dec. 6.

The board will hold as many public hearings as needed until all members are "satisfied" that all information and sides of the proposal have been made public before the board would enter into deliberation, said Planning Board Chairwoman Paula Caron.

Planning Board member Michael Hurley said the site visit was "very important" because of the information he gathered and to hear from residents.

"It went went well," Hurley said. "It was very informative."

Marsden said the goal is to have the facility, which would also be usable for field hockey and lacrosse, ready by next fall.

Welcome to your discussion forum: Sign in with a Disqus account or your social networking account for your comment to be posted immediately, provided it meets the guidelines. (READ HOW.)
Comments made here are the sole responsibility of the person posting them; these comments do not reflect the opinion of The Sentinel and Enterprise. So keep it civil.